Oban RNLI launches into Storm Malik
Oban RNLI Lifeboat ‘Mora Edith MacDonald’ was requested to launch into gale force winds this morning (Saturday 29 January) to a vessel taking on water in Loch Creran.
As Storm Malik battered the UK’s coastline, volunteers of Oban lifeboat were alerted by the sound of their pagers shortly after 10am this morning. The UK Coastguard had requested their assistance as a local work boat had started taking on water in Loch Creran. The volunteer crew were requested to launch to assist the Scottish Fire Service as they made efforts to salvage the vessel which was tied alongside a pier at the time.
The lifeboat left the relative shelter of Oban bay for the strong winds and rough sea brought in by the storm. Arriving on scene by 10.50am, conditions were too severe for the lifeboat to transfer any crew or their salvage pump onboard. Efforts to pump out water by the fire service ashore were stopping any further ingress and so the lifeboat stood by providing safety cover. Once it was safe to do so, persons ashore boarded the vessel for further inspection. Oban’s Coastguard Team were also on scene to assist.
Sadly the weather on scene was not improving and with everyone now safely ashore, the lifeboat was stood down by 12.40pm. The volunteer crew proceeded back to Oban, where the lifeboat was refuelled and made ready for service again by 1.15pm.
Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.
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